Dear media:
Though we are constantly forgotten,
THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO ARE PART OF THE UNITED STATES.
#HurricaneIrma
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Mia Mingus
@miamingus
“In a time of destruction, create something” - Maxine Hong Kingston | Sporadic tweeter | venmo: miamingus | paypal.me/MiaMingus
Mia Mingus’s Tweets
normalize that “i’m busy” means all my time that is *allotted for work* is booked, instead of *all my time* is booked. protect the time for your well-being (e.g. eating/nourishment, joy, rest, fun, growth, healing, caring for relationships, peace) at all costs whenever you can.
The Bay Area rn:
COVID: stay home. if you leave, wear a mask & stay 6ft apart
FIRE: be prepared to evacuate
HEATWAVE: go outside/open windows
AIR QUALITY: stay inside & DO NOT open windows. wear a *different* mask if outside
EARTHQUAKE: stay inside & get under strong table
Wish we embraced falling in friendship love and the magic of friendship love in general. It really is such a magnificent, kindred soul-shifting experience that can manifest in so many wonderfully different ways. It truly deserves its own genre of art, movies/TV, writing, music.
There is more than enough money, food, housing, medical care, water for everyone on the planet.
The lack of any of these resources is intentional.
Scarcity is used as a successful tool and mindset to fuel greed, competition, fear and (false) notions of superiority.
We really need to stop putting people on pedestals. It is harmful and dehumanizes all involved. Putting someone on a pedestal is not caring for them. It is not love. You can love, admire, adore, learn from, or follow the leadership of someone without putting them on a pedestal.
you cannot claim to support disability justice while holding large in-person gatherings inside without masks right now. no, just no. idc
people understand that *getting covid* is literally how the virus spreads, right? it's not just like, oh crap you tested positive oh well. no. it's literally how the pandemic continues. so... there won't be an end to the pandemic if you keep getting + spreading covid.
if people aren’t including ableism in their political analysis during a fcking *global pandemic* then i really don’t know what more it will take. i really don’t.
Sending love + strength to folks feeling pressure to loosen covid safety practices bc you feel alone, isolated+ judged. Bc everyone else is acting as if the pandemic is over. Bc there's yet *another* picture of your "close friends" unmasked together/with a large unmasked group.
I know it seems counterintuitive, but conflict is incredibly useful/valuable and generative conflict is one of the quickest and most effective ways to build and deepen trust.
PUT ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION ON YOUR EVENT INFO.
THIS INCLUDES:
-EMAILS
-EVENT PAGES AND WEBSITES
-FLYERS
PUT SOMETHING—ANYTHING—THAT SHOWS YOU THOUGHT ABOUT ACCESS, EVEN FOR A BRIEF MOMENT.
(EVEN A “THIS VENUE IS NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE” TELLS ME MORE THAN *NOTHING*)
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out.” — Václav Havel
As a survivor of child sexual abuse, working for abolition via transformative justice, more police and more prisons will not stop sexual violence. If it did, we would not have the devastatingly high epidemic-level rates of sexual violence that continue to persist.
so many of us lost people in 2020–the grief still palpable, still everywhere. it’s disorienting to read all the “we made it through 2020!” posts because so many of our loved ones did not. like read the damn room.
that time TSA ripped apart and destroyed my wheelchair cushion bc it was “dangerous” only to find nothing.
TSA agent trying to make apologetic small talk: so, what do you do?
Me: I travel North America teaching about the oppression of disabled people.
#ComebacksForAbleism
learning how to save seeds is a critical skill that sadly many of our communities have lost or bc of genetically modified seeds, plants are designed to not produce viable seeds, all for profit. supporting community seed banks and small seed saving projects is so important.
transcript of what Angela Davis says in this clip is below in thread.
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"I don't know if we have ever experienced this kind of global challenge to racism and to the consequences of slavery."
Angela Davis says anti-racism protests around the world are "a very exciting moment".
Any disability justice work should be in alignment and solidarity with abolition. And any abolition work should be in alignment and solidarity with disability justice.
Disability justice is abolition work and abolition work is disability justice work. Period.
No matter what you thought about the debate or whether you watched it or not, everyone who wants to should be able to access it.
The world is literally and systematically built for, caters to, and privileges hearing people. This form of ableist oppression is called audism. twitter.com/ChelseaCirruzz
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i know folks are tired of hearing that we are entering into a dangerous time and rn it feels far off, but it is real. please make safety plans, figure out who your safety pod will be. there will be backlash. DT/his supporters will retaliate, refuse to cede power, take revenge.
All Biden's words have done is make clear--abundantly clear--what we already have known: that we are on our own for the pandemic and the little that still remain (for some), will be gone soon (obvi wealthy folks will be able access whatever they want whenever as per usual).
as an adoptee if color i am telling those who are jumping to adopt any of these children to take all of the time, money and heart they would put towards “taking in” a child and put it towards getting them back to their family; towards safety, dignity &humanity for their families.
Appreciating folks posting pictures together w their masks ON. It reminds folks we are still in a pandemic at a time when seemingly everything pandemic-related is being silenced, erased, forgotten. Making access + care *visible* is critical right now.
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I will never, for the rest of my life, be able to get over how our government and our communities chose to just let immunocompromised people die in this pandemic. How vacations and parties were more important than people's lives. And still are. It will haunt me forever.
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When you feel yourself becoming complacent or surrendering to hopelessness or apathy, remember that everything that exists today exists bc someone dreamt it up and decided to put in the work to make it a reality.
Congratulations to all the BIPOC disabled folks who helped make this happen. Who understand more than most what the impact of state sanctioned violence, climate destruction and a deadly out of control global pandemic have on our communities’ bodies, minds and survival.
as an immunocompromised disabled queer asian woman who had polio and lives in GA, the last 3 years (and counting, bc the pandemic is not over) continue to be such a bizarre, intense and scary experience.
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Wish we had more vocabulary to talk about our friendships. Wish we didn't relegate friendship to the binary of either lover/partner or friend. ugh. it's so limiting and does not do justice to the depth and complexity of friendships and love we feel for and with our friends.
Too many people on the left want everything to be in-person only now (or have terrible virtual options offered) and also claim to support disability justice. no. this is blatant ableism and abled supremacy.
My ask to all organizers: if you create images to share, especially info graphics, please provide image descriptions along w graphic to download/share. It helps to remind people about access and allows them to make your content accessible.
Disability justice is a practice.
stop telling people not to be angry.
anger can absolutely be transformative. none of our movements would happen without it. anger can help reveal what is most important to us and give us a kind of clarity that few other emotions can.
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for everyone wanting community-based responses to violence that don't rely on state systems, here's a good place to start: build your pod(s).
find others who are also doing the same. support/encourage each other bc pod work is chalenging and takes time.
People who want us to settle for incremental change/reform, conveniently forget that we all *literally* just witnessed months of giant, wide-spread sweeping changes re COVID—many of which we were told were previously “impossible.” So call BS and aim high. Anything is possible.
i don't know if people realize 15/20 yrs ago, we used to have to beg people to come to TJ trainings. We used to have to really *make the argument* about why TJ was important and how it connected to their work. It was like pulling teeth sometimes... and now look at us. Damn.
i just don’t think we were supposed to know this much about everyone so often all at once.
apologize when you need to. doesn’t have to be grand. it just needs to be genuine and as soon as you can. don’t let the fear/avoidance fester or lag. don’t let resentment build and turn into bitterness. hurt and anger is much easier to address than resentment and bitterness.
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I am so mad. Just found out that someone reported my beloved Black neighbor to his *property insurance company* to complain about the 2 "free tables" he upkeeps in the space between the sidewalk and the curb in front of his house. #IHateGentrification
I am so tired of contacting people about (in)accessibility. SO TIRED. Every single day i come across a new event with NO MENTION OF ACCESSIBILITY ANYWHERE.
Yall, it's 2020. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. Abled folks, you need to do better and pick up the labor of addressing ableism.
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I remember a woman director i met in my 20’s who, when her boss would tell her she needed to do x, instead of scheduling into her personal time, would open up her always-fully-booked work calendar & say, “ok, what would you have me not do/put off then?” That’s always stuck w me.
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Friendship break-ups can bring you to your knees and lay you out in bone-cold-misery. They are a particular kind of gut-wrenching heartbreak that you go through, often without the kind of support or understanding or commiseration that other break-ups get.
Disability Justice requires systemic change and that we reimagine and build a world that values disabled people (and our communities) and that is not rooted in abled supremacy, exploitation, oppression, violence.
Please adjust white-washed definitions accordingly.
New writing.
For those who are wanting to learn more about accountability. Here is a two-part article i wrote on the “Four Parts of Accountability” and “How to Give A Genuine Apology.”
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My friends have saved my life. They have been there for me in some of my most darkest and joyful times. They have romanced me and i them.
They are not "layovers" between partners/lovers. They are not "side dishes" to the "main dish."
i don't know who needs to hear this, but *anyone* can cause harm. and anyone can also collude in causing harm too.
that includes:
-your favs
-your friends, besties
-your partners, dates, crushes, sweeties
-your mentors, heroes, teachers
-your kids, family, relatives
-you
Your friendly reminder that by getting boosted, wearing masks and practicing other COVID safety precautions, you are caring for and protecting many, many others:
*those who can’t get vaccinated/boosted because of disabilities or age (e.g. infants).
Look, i wish the government would do more re pandemic safety, but they aren't. Why can't "We Keep Us Safe" also apply to covid? monkey pox? Why does it only seem to apply to some forms of harm (e.g. police, gentrification, domestic/sexual violence) and not others (i.e. covid)?
always wild to me how so many instances of conflict and hurt can often be boiled down to people not being able to say “yes” and “no.”
I will never understand how people ask me, a disabled person who was part of forwarding the disability justice framework, to be part of events that don't prioritize accessibility (e.g. no mention of access on the event info, no planning for access unless they are asked about it).
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Seeing Bill Hader wearing his mask in a room full of un-masked at the Emmys, which millions of people were watching, mattered. It was, not only meeting a real need, but also a symbol that i am sure made people feel uncomfortable, but hopefully made some folks reflect.
Feeling this today:
Apologizing to someone so that they will apologize to you is not apologizing—it is manipulation.
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Bc people are looking at you like it's *you* who has the problem. Bc they *completely "support" you* while they go on to *not* support you at all. Bc their mental health, as if you don't also have mental health struggles for the same fucking reasons.
I talk a lot about the importance of building solid relationships and the skills we need (how to apologize well, active listening, giving/receiving feedback), but don't forget about FUN. Joy, laughter, silliness & play are foundational and necessary to growth and wellness.
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Anyways, i just want more art and books and series and songs about friendships. I want more conversations and spaces for us to be able to talk about our friendships in. I want more language,nuance and exploration.
Bc i love my friends deeply and i would not be here without them.
Like many people, i have been canceling travel, events, etc for the next bunch of weeks. I encourage you to do what you can as well.
This is a moment to be in solidarity w folks who do not have the luxury to choose and whose risk relies on those of us who do.
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Bc you just don't know who you can trust with your heart, your pain + fear, your tears. Bc one of the worst parts of this pandemic has been the sheer all-encompassing echoing loneliness and silence. The being left behind and left out. I am sending you love. I am sending us love.
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They occupy such an important part of what love is and can be. They don't diminish other forms of love, they enhance them.
They are a unique kind of home and belonging, esp for me as a queer, disabled, adoptee, woman of color, survivor.
You know the people in our lives who always initiate telling and showing you they like/love you without prompting? You know how they make you feel so cherished and loved? They also deserve to get that same loving treatment too. Give back. Initiate. Reciprocate. Don’t just take.
dear all graduate students for the last decade and forever and ever and ever: no, you cannot come and "observe" a TJ process that i'm leading. never. this will never be a thing you can do and it will never not be a weird ass thing for you to ask. no. my answer will always be no.
so many want alternatives to police, prisons and the criminal legal system, but very few are willing to actually commit to the hard long term work to build them. (they don't *and won't* just magically happen, they must be built with collective time, labor and commitment).
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Bc you are just so exhausted and demoralized by year 3 (especially fellow immunocompromised and high risk folks) that you have nothing left. Bc you have opened up to people so much about all of this and they agree with EVERYTHING and then go on a big group trip.
if you’re abled and i talk to you about disability, ableism or abled supremacy, it’s usually a sign of commitment to (or belief in) our relationship.
unfortunately most abled people understand it as the opposite. 🤦🏻♀️
"The time has come for us to reimagine everything. We have to reimagine work and go away from labor. We have to reimagine revolution and get beyond protest. We have to think not only about change in our institutions, but changes in ourselves."
reimaginerpe.org/19-2/boggs
Community is amazing! Alice has enough to cover more than a year of home care! But she also needs many other things, such as assistive tech for communication + ridiculously expensive nutritional supplements not covered by insurance. Please keep sharing <3
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A punitive culture teaches us that people have to be "good" or "bad." It erases away our humanity: our human complexities and contradictions; our human capacity for growth, change and transformation; our human capacity for both harm and love.
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Instead of running from conflict, we can work to embrace it and get curious about all that it has to teach us: about ourselves, the other person and our shared relationship. There is a TON of information in there that can help us reflect, learn and grow.
one of the things about getting to experience true love (no matter what form it takes) is realizing that the things you’ve been shamed about and thought you needed to “fix” about yourself (“you’re too ___ and should be ___”) are often the very things people love most about you.
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don’t forget the ROLLING BLACK OUTS re fans/air purifiers (and the small number of people who have access to Bay-Area-AC. so don’t use too much energy bc the electrical grid is strained and could potentially fail all together bc it’s strained bc of the HEATWAVE & FIRES.
Stop going above and beyond for people who do not care about you, for people who make your life harder. Go above and beyond for people who show you they care about you and who make your life easier and better. This was one of the most important lessons i ever learned.
political organizers & activists: "sustainability! disability justice! end capitalism and ableism! healing justice!"
also political organizers & activists: Nat'l conference starts with 7am breakfast, workshops/plenaries all day, film screening/party/performances end at 10pm.
The disability population will continue to grow exponentially from this crisis, in addition to the many other on-going crises of pollution, toxins, climate change; state and intimate violence; poverty, capitalism; lack of access to safe medical care, working conditions; etc...
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"I’m just one of the thousands of Americans who have long-term post-COVID symptoms. This crisis won't end with a vaccine.”
buzzfeednews.com/article/nidhip
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Bc they don't want to make people feel uncomfortable or have to have a hard conversation (which you have been having all fucking pandemic). Bc you miss your loved ones so so so so much and wish you too could go on a plane and travel to see and hug them.
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and ideally have *both* masks with you as you’re sheltering from the earthquake, just in case. your N95 and your covid cloth mask. joy.
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"This is the cruelty of ableism: it robs us of each other."
- from Feeling the Weight: Some Beginning Notes on Disability, Access and Love
Proud of myself for continuing to hold firm to my boundary of doing no work on my winter break. Been saying "no" left + right, on zooms, in texts, voice memos + emails. "No," "no," "no," "no," "no." "Happy to do it before I go on break, otherwise it will have to be in 2023."
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These free tables have been going for the past 12 years. They are a lifeline to countless people in our neighborhood and beyond. Houseless folks, elders, disabled folks, families. Anyone can put anything on it and *anyone* can take whatever they need.
Most of my time on here is spent saving articles that i never end up reading and thinking about things that i never end up tweeting.
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I am saying all of this to the folks who are reading this who are not disabled, immunocompromised and/or high risk. Do not place that burden on us. Be an ally, an accomplice. Use your power + privilege for good. You may not know it, but you have an enormous amount of influence.
"we’re still experiencing an average of 360 deaths from COVID every day; nearly 1 in 5 adults in the US who have had the virus have debilitating long COVID; and less than 70% of the US are fully vaccinated, meaning a large portion of the country remains vulnerable"
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No, the pandemic isn’t really "over."
buzzfeednews.com/article/katiec
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Create the things you wish existed in the world. You don't need a ton of people to do great things, to change things for the better. Try, make mistakes, reflect, learn, grow and try again. Rinse and repeat. Bc remember: comfort and transformation do not live on the same block.
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We need non-disabled people and disabled people who are not immunocompromised + high risk to step up now. This is about practicing interdependence, collective care and disability/racial justice. We need you. You need us. We need each other. We need each other.
Sometimes i wonder how many friendships we miss or lose because we are afraid to take a risk and reach out. Maybe it's someone you would like to be friends with or reaching out after a fight/break in trust or even if you've simply just grown apart and wanna say, hey I miss you.
Stop using “crippling” and “lame” in negative ways. They are ableist.
As a physically disabled kid who was repeatedly called a “cripple,” “crippled,” and “lame,” those terms make my skin crawl.
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Our work now should be cultural changes, so that we can get (our) folks to get boosted, wear masks and continue other safety precautions. We should be *normalizing* masks. Taking pictures (esp with others) with your masks ON.
we have our go-bags packed. just put out a change of clothes next to them in case anything happens during the night. we don’t have any evacuation warnings yet, but folks abt 10mins from us do. packing a bag of important/cherished things to also grab (computer, photos, etc). whew.
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Putting people on pedestals is part of the binary of how we categorize people into "good and "bad." They are two sides of the same coin and they contribute to our collective inability to understand, identify and respond to harm. We demonize people or we put them on pedestals.
Them: Disposability culture + punishment are terrible! People need to be accountable! We value healing! We love transformative justice!
Me: OK, let's start with something *you* need to take accountability for or a relationship you need to heal/repair in *your* life.
Them:
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Anti-abolitionists trot out survivors who will vouch for the need for police/prisons, when the reality is the state itself is one of the most rampant perpetrators (& sites) of sexual violence (e.g. sexual assault is 2nd most common form of police brutality, rape as weapon of war)
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IF YOU ONLY KNEW HOW MUCH EXTRA TIME AND ENERGY DISABLED PEOPLE SPEND TRYING TO FIGHURE OUT IF YOUR EVENTS AND VENUES ARE ACCESSIBLE.
THIS IS LITERALLY THE *LEAST* YOU CAN DO.
THIS IS NOT DISABILITY JUSTICE, THIS IS *BASIC ACCESS & DECENCY*
-signed, 1/4 of the population
Protect Whistleblower Dawn Wooten GoFundMe.
Donate and share.
Nurse Dawn Wooten recently revealed that ICE is performing mass hysterectomies on undocumented immigrants kept in federal custody.
gofundme.com/f/protect-whis
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it's easy to say "no police" and "no prisons," but much harder to build the community infrastructure we will need to make this a reality. does your community/family/neighborhood have a way to address intimate & sexual violence? then get started in (collectively) building it now.
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i know this seems really basic. but also... i don't think people understand this.
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Disability justice is not about access (e.g. ramps, braille), it's about moving beyond just access. It's about justice and liberation for disabled people and our communities. It's about interdependence, care and sustainability--all things that are threatening to the status quo.
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As we work to be free of a culture of punishment/revenge, we also have to confront the other side. We have to acknowledge celebrity culture and how it stretches well beyond formal celebrities and into our movements, organizations, groups, relationships--just as punishment does.
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Why do i see We Keep Us Safe folks holding events indoors without masks? frequently jet setting on planes to different cities and *countries*? Eating out in restaurants? Holding and attending conferences/convenings? It really makes you wonder who the "us" they're referring to is.
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It is clear that the state has no interest in ending sexual violence because it uses and relies on sexual violence as a way to maintain its power, even as it positions itself as a “protector.”